Approximately 7,000 repatriates, the majority of them Jews, have committed suicide since May, it was reported here today. The impossibility of earning a living is the immediate reason given in almost all cases.
Most of the victims are old people. Upon their return to Prague they learned that their families perished in the Nazi gas chambers. Finding no homes and no jobs, these shattered people preferred to end their lives rather than continue a miserable existence.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.